As the government shutdown eclipsed the one-month mark, the financial strain on our country only intensified. Nov. 1 signified the end of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for millions of Americans, making tasks like paying for groceries nearly impossible. That’s why Three Square, the largest food bank serving Southern Nevada, executed a food distribution event at Thomas & Mack Center to assist Las Vegans who are struggling. The care packages were put together by hundreds of volunteers, mostly comprised of UNLV students and staff.

Three Square Food Bank, in collaboration with UNLV, is stepping up its efforts to provide emergency food assistance to the community on Saturday. The initiative aims to serve up to 1,000 local households on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. Community members received a 60-pound box of shelf-stable items and fresh produce through convenient drive-thru lines. UNLV President Chris Heavey and Vice President of Government and Community Engagement Constance Brooks joined forces with hundreds of volunteers to assist the community during a critical time.

Three Square Food Bank partnered with UNLV, CSN, and two churches — TCMI Church in Las Vegas and Central Church in Henderson — to provide fresh produce and nonperishable goods.

Volunteers gathered at sites across the Las Vegas valley Saturday for the start of emergency food distributions planned during the lapse in SNAP benefits. Hundreds helped Three Square distribute food outside the Thomas and Mack Center at UNLV. Around 80 percent of volunteers at the distribution came from UNLV. Dr. Constance Brooks, vice president of government and community engagement for UNLV, said the lapse in benefits affects some of the university’s students.

The phones at Three Square Food Bank have been “ringing off the hook” from potential volunteers as the organization prepares for an influx of Nevadans seeking its services, said Beth Martino, the group’s president.

Take a walk on UNLV’s campus and you might see a knee-high white box on wheels branded with an orange Grubhub logo. The robots speed among students and faculty making their way across campus on a food run to a hungry recipient. These robots from Starship Technologies have made UNLV home for the past two years, but their food deliveries are limited to the university’s boundaries.

Robots could roam the public sidewalks and crosswalks around UNLV to deliver food to thousands of students and staff, but it all hinges on where Clark County officials permit them to go.

Requiring employees at Nevada colleges and universities to get the COVID-19 vaccine — that is the big decision on the table this week, but it is causing some controversy.